Honda Accord vs Nissan Altima

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For the Accord or for any other car, is it harmful to use the D3 to sorta use it as a manual shift, mainly to get more power when accelerating, and then switch it back to auto when you are up to speed.

D3 still is Auto, otherwise you would be stuck in 3rd (or 4th) gear. It just disables the OD. You aren't hurting anything by turning off the OD except perhaps fuel economy If you have your foot in it to accelerate, it isn't going to be in overdrive anyway, so its kind of a mute point.If I am in a rental car on a 2 lane road and have to pass, I usually turn off overdrive so I don't have the delay of waiting for the thing to figure out to downshift in addition to the lag for the car to accelerate.

Dealerships were Crown Nissan in Hoover, AL and Family Nissan in Oxford, AL. Oxford gave me the better price, but were incredibly pushy. Crown Nissan was very relaxing and professional, but I ultimately paid a little more to buy it from them. I would recommend Crown Nissan 100% and Family Nissan about 75%. Both are good dealerships, but Crown just struck a much better chord with me.

I agree with that article... I have no choice. I have not driven the coupes of either model. A lot of people say they like the Accord coupe better though, so I can't question that.

What I DO know is that I've driven the '08 Accord EX-L 4-cyl and '08 Altima 2.5 SL sedans back-to-back, and the Altima is quicker, more fuel efficient, has more features, and is more fun to drive. All of this combined with a lower price tag makes the Altima sedan an excellent value compared to the '08 Accord sedan.

The way I look at it, if you want a larger back seat and stability control, get the Accord. For everything else, get the Altima. I've had my '08 Altima 2.5 SL sedan for 3 months now, and I have no regrets at all. I sometimes wonder if I should have gotten the Accord, but then I think about all the stuff that the Altima comes with that the Accord doesn't. It makes me love my Altima even more.

One more thing...

'08 Accord = 8.9'08 Altima = 9.3

It seems that most people agree with me. It's just too bad that most people don't do several months worth of research before they buy their cars.

Well just be glad we got a 5spd, rather than a 4spd. Did you know that the Impala SS model with the V8 only has a 4spd transmission, now tell me whose skimping out on features, or no wait, necessities. New cars should atleast have a 5spd, its 2008.

So despite all of the Altima and Accord's flaws, they atleast are thinking of the basic requirements of the car. Certainly not skimping out on fit and finish or compromising anything to save money, because I don't feel that when I see these cars, when compared to "other" models.

Its about having the engine in its efficiency band. The engine should be able to get to peak horsepower, peak torque, or peak economy. Adding gears in a marketing campaign to compensate for a razor thin powerband in the motor doesn't mean everyone needs to go around adding mechanical complexity to their transmissions.

I would worry more about fuel economy and performance measures than how many gears something has.

Good points! But, Given that an engine with more gearing, could perhaps have more options in getting better efficiency, as it would be able to pick the best gear to be in, at a certain RPM, therefore allowing the engine to have more options. Its also more fun in a manual mode, or actual manual.

Given that an engine with more gearing, could perhaps have more options in getting better efficiency, as it would be able to pick the best gear to be in, at a certain RPM, therefore allowing the engine to have more options.

Yeah, they should invent a transmission that is continuously variable. This would be great, the car would never have to shift. It could provide a smooth, fast, efficient automobile. Someday they'll make it happen.

Well, if I had it my way now, I would get a Honda Accord V6 Coupe, RED!I don't know how to drive a manual, but if someone gave me the keys to that, I would learn, FAST! That cars is absolutely awesome!

Saw a couple Accord Coupes on the road today, they're alright looking...better than the sedan IMO. Altima coupe is alright too. I think the main reason both of them look a little odd to me is because they are still pretty big for a coupe. Still have to give props to both Nissan and Honda though for at least making them look attractive.....unlike the G6 coupe.

I would have to say the Nissan Altima is your best bet. My family has been a nissan family since 1989. Here is a rundown of the family vehicles. 1989 Pickup(389,000)cops dont now how as it looked like a crush beer can cousin fell sleep coming home) 1997 Nissan Altima(340,000m) 2002 Nissan Maxima(140,000 miles when sold) 2006 Nissan Sentra (36000) 2007 Nissan Frontier(39,000). All these vehicle are still being driven never had any major repairs. So in October of 2008. I have come to the decision based on repeated reliality and performance and maitnence cost. To purchae either the 2008 or 2009 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE fully loaded or the 2008-2009 Nissan Maxima fully loaded as my birthday gift to myself.

I will (hopefully) be purchasing my first new car in the near future and wanted to ask for your feedback/advice. I am currently torn between the Nissan Altima Coupe and either the Honda Civic Coupe or the Honda Accord Coupe. I have test driven the Altima several times and love the car, but am unclear as to the long term reliability of the vehicle (what I've been reading on the forums about engine failures after 6 years is concerning...but I think most are coming from the first year of the redesigned sedan back in 2002). A plus for the Honda's is they come with a few more standard safety features like Electronic Stability Control/Vehicle Stability Assist. I would truly love to hear your advice and feedback. Thank you in advance for your time and advice, I truly appreciate it!

In all honesty, you can't go wrong with either the Altima Coupe or the Accord Coupe. The only reason you should buy a Civic coupe, though, is if you wish to save money on gas. Either the Accord or Altima will be far more practical and enjoyable driving wise.

After the reviews I've read of both the Altima and Accord Coupe, I'd have to lean towards the Accord Coupe. It seems to have a more refined ride, and it has more usable space than the Altima. However, the Altima has a terrific CVT transmission w/ 6-speed manual mode, which will definitely add some excitement to the drive with that car.

If you want all-out thrills though, either the Civic Si coupe or the Accord V6 manual will give you all the thrills you need in a FWD coupe.

If you're looking for a more practical coupe though, I'd vote for the '08-'09 Accord EX 4-cyl. It's probably the best midsize coupe on the market currently.

I think the Altima sedan is a bit ugly. Looks really heavy, its rear end is huge looking!The style is just a re-done, blown up version of the model before it. Blah, it does not give me any inspiration. Just my opinion though. Too each their own.

Now, the Altima coupe is a sharp looking ride and so is the Accord coupe. Now, the Accord sedan, could use some slimming, and a bit more coupe inspiration, it would not have hurt anything. People want more style these days.

One person's junk is another person's jewel. Nobody's trying to lead you wrong here, but opinions differ quite regularly. I hope you'll drive each of the cars you are interested in before deciding against them!

Thank you all so much for input; I really appreciate it!!! Thank you thegraduate...you are so right! I find that each time I test drive a vehicle, I learn something new about it. I like the Altima, Accord, Civic (and now adding Civic SI) to the list in different ways. I hope to go for another round of test drives this week to help narrow down the list....but my goodness, this is a tough decision... :blush:

There's not a bad car in the lot. The Civic offers a good value if you typically drive with just you or you and one passenger in the car. The Altima and Accord are more substantial vehicles with somewhat lower economy, but more power and ride/sound isolation.

To add to what thegraduate said, the difference between driving a Civic and an Altima/Accord is very striking. Although you lose a few MPG in fuel economy, you gain lots of refinement, ride comfort, usable space, and engine power. The Civic is a lot of fun for a small car, but there's a reason our society is always moving for larger, more space efficient vehicles. Nearly everyone that I know values size and power over fuel economy. Since most cars are now pushing close to 30MPG highway with nearly 200hp, there isn't a good reason not to get a midsize sedan/coupe anymore.

The only thing that I can think of that's making people question weather a midsize is worth it over a compact is simply price. Is it worth it to the average joe to pay roughly $5-7k more to gain space, power, and overall comfort to the driver? That's the question that most buyers have to answer.

I've driven a compact sedan before, and now that I've moved to a midsize, I can say in confidence that I will never go back. The advantages of a midsize far outweigh the loss of fuel economy.

I am driving an 2009 Altima as a loaner car while my BMW 740I (1998. 75,000 miles) in in for service. I am impressed with the base 2.5S for it comes with quite a few features, It is reasonably fast for a 4 cylinder, CVT was easy to drive and awesome gas mileage! I have been getting 24 in the city and 35 on the highway (extended loaner). I also get to put regular gas vs. premium that BMW needs. Its is not a strong or built as well, however the 740i listed for over 70,000 when new and this one can be has in the high teens price wise. The only thing I would add would be a power drivers seat. The engine seems stronger/faster than the Accord/Camry 4 bangers

I wonder if any of you actually driven these two cars because if you have and you are a driver, you can not miss the striking difference between them and that's the power and performance advantage of Altima vs Accord. Hondas and Toyotas are known for their sub par performance in comparison to their competitors in the same category. Maybe performance is not what you are looking for which is fine but even quality wise Nissan's competitive if not better. The shock's of the Altima is stiffer because of it's performance capabilities special if you have a V6. By far you get more enjoyment driving an Altima, I know I've a 2010 3.5SR CVT.You should not ignore the enjoyment factor of a car unless you are purchasing a utility vehicle for work. By the way, Honda corporation is not such a clean honest company as you may think that are. This is from a friend of mine owning 3 Hondas saying that they avoid publicly issuing recalls by fixing it the next time you visit the dealer for something like an oil change. They would just inform you that they have replaced the part for you free of charge.

Ok, I&#146;ll try to explain If you put yourself into Altima or Acura TL or Acura RDX (and many others), adjust your seat and steering column you noticed that you can hold a steering wheel with your right hand and rest your right elbow on a armrest.Try the same in Accord.For me it is very important feature for a long run.